Football 16-17

[eFestivals]

1 minute ago, TheGayTent said:

 

what did you miss about me saying their form was iffy?

 

[kaosmark2]

13 hours ago, WS_Jack_III said:

One of the more stranger goals from Diame tonight.

 

Deserved the win, better team overall. Terrible decision by the ref for Brighton's penalty and boy do they get penalties. Think that was their tenth of the season.

 

Big win anyway, lots of tough games on the way for Newcastle still.

Huge, huge result. In a run starting yesterday, we face every other team in the top 7 before the end of April, 5 of those games being away.

Huddersfield and Reading away next. I'd be happy enough with 2 points from that pair after getting the win last night.

[pink_triangle]

1 hour ago, eFestivals said:

which I've made clear will factor in how things turn out, by saying if Liverpool's first choicers stay fit they'll be fine, and might not be if they don't.

 

Yup.

But Liverpool are clearly in a slump, while also being able to play very well.

Because they're still able to play very well, I see them rising from that slump again.

If they weren't still turning it on on occasion, what I'd be posting would be different.

Doesn't an average take slumps into account though, just as it does periods of the season where they overperformed. The real Liverpool is somewhere between and probably pretty much fairly reflected by the points total.

[pink_triangle]

59 minutes ago, kaosmark2 said:

Huge, huge result. In a run starting yesterday, we face every other team in the top 7 before the end of April, 5 of those games being away.

Huddersfield and Reading away next. I'd be happy enough with 2 points from that pair after getting the win last night.

Let's be honest (which admittedly your tempting fate saying as a fan ) there's almost no chance Newcastle won't finish first or second .

[mjsell]

I hope this guy gets the Leicester job

Ive missed him.

[eFestivals]

35 minutes ago, pink_triangle said:

Doesn't an average take slumps into account though

Yep.

But I'm looking at the season average beyond now, and seeing no particular reason why that slump will continue - because the reason for that slump is pretty clear (the loss of 3 key players).

 

35 minutes ago, pink_triangle said:

, just as it does periods of the season where they overperformed. The real Liverpool is somewhere between and probably pretty much fairly reflected by the points total.

I agree that the 'real' Liverpool is somewhere in between, and even if it's "fairly reflected by the points total so far" that means if they're going to miss out it'll only be by a point or two.

My own take is that they'll come out of the current slump to some extent, which will up the average from what it currently is - which will put them above where they currently are.

And meanwhile, Utd have been on a better run, which is just as likely to drop off a little. They  also have troubles on the scoring front (they're a sizeable distance behind the teams above them with that), and it's also worth remembering that it's pretty unusual for the highest scoring teams to not be at the top. A team with as big a gap with scoring as Utd have are only very rarely in the mix at the end of a season.

[kaosmark2]

46 minutes ago, pink_triangle said:

Let's be honest (which admittedly your tempting fate saying as a fan ) there's almost no chance Newcastle won't finish first or second .

Could be thrown over the next 6 weeks with a bad run, but it's looking very positive after last night. If we lose to Huddersfield I'll feel a lot less confident until a gap opens up again.

Edited March 1, 2017 by kaosmark2

[pink_triangle]

29 minutes ago, kaosmark2 said:

Could be thrown over the next 6 weeks with a bad run, but it's looking very positive after last night. If we lost to Huddersfield I'll feel a lot less confident until a gap opens up again.

I think if Newcastle were going to fail it would be from a slow start. Being in position with a good (by championship standard) squad. A Newcastle promotion is about as safe a bet as there is.

[WS_Jack_III]

3 hours ago, kaosmark2 said:

Huge, huge result. In a run starting yesterday, we face every other team in the top 7 before the end of April, 5 of those games being away.

Huddersfield and Reading away next. I'd be happy enough with 2 points from that pair after getting the win last night.

With them being away I think we'll get 6 points. It's the home matches to worry about, we're awful at home.

[Hugh Jass]

3 hours ago, mjsell said:

I hope this guy gets the Leicester job

Ive missed him.

He's not the worst choice out there, took Albion from relegation fodder to solid mid-table outfit and took Fulham all the way to a European final. It's the big jobs he struggles with, he'd keep Leicester up without doubt.

[DavisO89]

On the Liverpool vs United argument I'd add that Uniteds performances have been pretty consistent over the last 4 months (since the Chelsea hammering) and although they may not be scoring as many goals as their top 6 rivals a lot of that has been down to opposition goalkeepers having their best games against them, Burnley, Hull, and West Ham all spring to mind. Our form is good I think the EFL Cup win will give us that extra momentum going into the final stages of the season. Liverpool have looked shot since xmas. They may well pick up again but I can't see how anyone can say they've got a better chance of finishing top 4 than United at present, even with key players returning. 

[TheGayTent]

1 hour ago, DavisO89 said:

On the Liverpool vs United argument I'd add that Uniteds performances have been pretty consistent over the last 4 months (since the Chelsea hammering) and although they may not be scoring as many goals as their top 6 rivals a lot of that has been down to opposition goalkeepers having their best games against them, Burnley, Hull, and West Ham all spring to mind. Our form is good I think the EFL Cup win will give us that extra momentum going into the final stages of the season. Liverpool have looked shot since xmas. They may well pick up again but I can't see how anyone can say they've got a better chance of finishing top 4 than United at present, even with key players returning. 

The 0-2 game? 

[DavisO89]

No, the 1-1 back in November. Randolph looked like a world beater.

[TheGayTent]

18 minutes ago, DavisO89 said:

No, the 1-1 back in November. Randolph looked like a world beater.

That makes far more sense - he did play well that day, one of his few good displays this season. 

[pink_triangle]

I know I there has been some talk about west Brom's play recently. According to football weekly they have actually become more pulis like this season in terms of less possession and more long balls. However shot conversion is much better which reflects improves results.

[mjsell]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39139930

"The number of people who attended the protest is reported to have been between five and eight." 

This is one of my absolute favourite lines I've ever read

Edited March 2, 2017 by mjsell

[Hugh Jass]

4 hours ago, pink_triangle said:

I know I there has been some talk about west Brom's play recently. According to football weekly they have actually become more pulis like this season in terms of less possession and more long balls. However shot conversion is much better which reflects improves results.

I think those stats do us a disservice to be honest. There has been a huge change art the club in terms of style and mentality over the last few months which has been reflected in results. We've become a decent counter attacking team who carry a genuine threat going forward. It's not the playing of long balls that's the issue, last season it was just hoofing it up to Rondon who wouldn't have another player within 40 yards of him. Now it's getting the ball forward to the likes of Chadli and Phillips as quickly as possible to exploit their pace on the break. Check out our goal against Stoke a few weeks ago, their corner, three passes later it's in their net. When we turn the ball over we suddenly show real attacking intent to get forward quickly. It isn't all long balls and counter attacking though, I'm willing to bet that our passing accuracy has improved massively too. We're now capable of playing some very neat stuff at times too, we've been comfortably beating teams at home all season. The sad truth is that some will always be snobby about us and how we play because it's Pulis.

As for possession, I couldn't care less. Having more of the ball doesn't make you better, Leicester won the league averaging about 35% possession. In one of our early PL seasons under Tony Mowbray teams would just sit off and let us have the ball, knowing that we weren't good enough to beat them, eventually we would make a mistake and they would pick us off. That season we averaged about 60% possession per game and finished bottom.

To paraphrase Sean Connery in The Rock, losers whine about possession. Winners go home and f**k the prom queen.

[Hugh Jass]

Thought I'd share this as it is a music forum ultimately... Every match this season the Albion programme cover has been a classic album cover modified. They're pretty cool:

http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/the-match-programme-in-the-style-of-a-blur-album-cover-prior-to-the-picture-id633773316?s=594x594

The Blur one on the link above is my favourite so far.

[TheGayTent]

The lady doth protest too much....

 

....presumably they've done Clapton's backless?

[big__phil]

Prem fixtures this weekend you say? Go on then...

Saturday 04 March

Man Utd v Bournemouth

Leicester v Hull

Stoke v Middlesbrough

Swansea v Burnley

Watford v Southampton

West Brom v Crystal Palace

Liverpool v Arsenal

Sunday 05 March

Spurs v Everton

Sunderland v Man City

Monday 06 March

West Ham v Chelsea

Big games all over the place this weekend. At the bottom Leicester v Hull obviously looks a big game, and Hull would actually go level on points with Leicester if they win. Boro, Swansea, and Palace might be looking at picking up points, whilst Sunderland face a City team who look pretty good again.

If Utd beat Bournmouth (who have now lost 4 in a row and not won in 7 and look in trouble), they'll go ahead of either Liverpool or Arsenal who are both pretty inconsistent ahead of the late game on Saturday.

Looks to be a good weekend. Predictions?

[DavisO89]

49 minutes ago, big__phil said:

Prem fixtures this weekend you say? Go on then...

Saturday 04 March

Man Utd 3-0 Bournemouth

Leicester 2-2 Hull

Stoke 2-1 Middlesbrough

Swansea 2-0 Burnley

Watford 1-2 Southampton

West Brom 2-0 Crystal Palace

Liverpool 2-2 Arsenal

Sunday 05 March

Spurs 1-0 Everton

Sunderland 1-3 Man City

Monday 06 March

West Ham 0-2 Chelsea

My 2 cents 

[big__phil]

12 minutes ago, DavisO89 said:

My 2 cents 

Goals!

[mjsell]

21 minutes ago, DavisO89 said:

My 2 cents 

Cant say I disagree with many of those predictions. I think Palace have a chance of nicking a point. And can see Stoke Boro ending goalless and boring. Maybe Watford getting something also depending on how Southampton react from last weeks result at Wembley, wouldnt be the first club to lose a few after a League cup final.

[Hugh Jass]

Saturday 04 March

Man Utd v Bournemouth - HOME

Leicester v Hull - DRAW

Stoke v Middlesbrough - HOME

Swansea v Burnley - HOME

Watford v Southampton - DRAW

West Brom v Crystal Palace - AWAY (We'r due a poor one at home)

Liverpool v Arsenal  - HOME

Sunday 05 March

Spurs v Everton - HOME

Sunderland v Man City - AWAY

Monday 06 March

West Ham v Chelsea - DRAW

 

[TheGayTent]

8 hours ago, big__phil said:

Saturday 04 March

Man Utd 0-6 Bournemouth

Leicester 0-0 Hull

Stoke 0-0 Middlesbrough

Swansea 0-0 Burnley

Watford 0-0 Southampton

West Brom 14-0 Crystal Palace

Liverpool 0-0 Arsenal

Sunday 05 March

Spurs 0-6 Everton

Sunderland 0-0 Man City

Monday 06 March

West Ham 6-0 Chelsea